Virtual Financial Wellness Benefits Show Results for Pre-Retirees
New research from Financial Finesse’s Financial Wellness Think Tank suggests that recent investments in pre-retirement financial wellness programs are already producing measurable results, with over half (54.2%) of engaged older employees moving on track toward their overall retirement goal.
Employees age 55 and older who engaged with Financial Finesse’s virtual financial wellness benefit for roughly one year—and who had not previously completed a given retirement readiness milestone—made substantial progress across key retirement behaviors: 91.8% named or updated a retirement plan beneficiary, 82.3% increased contributions to capture their full employer match, 67.3% completed a retirement income estimate, and 54.8% adjusted investment allocations to better align with their retirement timeline.
Using Financial Finesse’s proprietary ROI model, improvements of this magnitude are estimated to translate into approximately $1.95 million in annual employer savings for a 50,000-employee organization through improved employee financial outcomes and workplace productivity.
“Every conversation we’re having about workers approaching retirement comes back to the same question: How do you create meaningful progress before someone’s retirement date arrives?”
— Susan Weeks, Director of Key Accounts, PoweredBy Retirement, Financial FinesseWorker Retirement Confidence Lags
The gains land at a moment when Americans are becoming less confident about retirement, even as the industry places greater emphasis on helping participants prepare for the shift from saving to spending. According to the 2026 Retirement Confidence Survey from the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), worker confidence in having enough money to retire comfortably fell to 61%, down from 67% in 2025.
In response, organizations such as the Institutional Retirement Income Council (IRIC) have named improving retirement readiness and income outcomes as key priorities for 2026. IRIC forecasts continued growth in pre-retirement programs that combine personalized education, retirement income planning, AI-enabled personalization, guidance on Social Security and Medicare elections, retirement paycheck modeling, tax-aware withdrawal planning, and digital and virtual coaching.
“Engagement is the catalyst. Once employees begin actively using financial wellness resources, many of the retirement behaviors that matter most start improving.”
— Susan Weeks, Financial FinesseWhy It Matters for Plan Sponsors & Advisors
The industry’s growing focus on retirement income solutions recognizes that participants need more than products—they need confidence in the decisions that determine whether those products ultimately succeed. Employees unsure how much to save, whether they’re invested appropriately, when to claim Social Security, or how to build sustainable income are less likely to benefit fully from even the most sophisticated plan features.
Financial wellness helps bridge that gap by combining personalized education, AI-powered guidance, digital planning tools, and access to Certified Financial Planner professionals. Findings from the study, The Impact of Virtual Financial Wellness on Retirement Readiness, draw on participant engagement analyzed across Financial Finesse employer clients between 2024 and 2026, giving advisors and plan sponsors measurable progress they can point to today.
Measurable movement. Among engaged employees 55+, 54.2% moved on track toward their overall retirement goal within about a year of using the virtual benefit.
Concrete actions. 91.8% named or updated a beneficiary and 82.3% increased contributions to capture their full employer match—behaviors that directly improve readiness.
Employer ROI. Financial Finesse estimates roughly $1.95 million in annual savings for a 50,000-employee organization through better outcomes and productivity.
Confidence gap. EBRI’s 2026 survey shows worker retirement confidence slipping to 61% from 67% a year earlier—raising the stakes for pre-retiree support.
Engagement is the lever. Sustained use of personalized, AI-supported guidance—not products alone—drives the foundational behaviors behind stronger retirement readiness.